Best Fish Heads (2009)

Chinese diners have been appreciating fish heads for years. Not only do they add a pleasing gooey texture to the broth, but the individual parts of the fish face have estimable flavors all their own: The skin on the forehead and chin is crisp and slides off easily, the eyeballs pop when bitten into, and the flesh below the eye, known as the cheek, is the most succulent found anywhere on a finned creature. At the brilliant new restaurant Hunan House, dishes like the whole fish braised with chile sauce come with the head thrust upward from the rest of the fish, making for easy access. And the same dish can be ordered with just fish heads.